The ABC's of Hiei and Botan
by xblackrosefirex
Summary: A story that focuses on Hiei and Botan, and the kind of relationship that they have. An alphabet fic, if you will. I rated this T just to be safe. Letters A through G have been uploaded and are ready to read. Please review, as well.
1. A is for Abomination

Title: The ABC's of Hiei and Botan.

Summary: My first Hiei/Botan fic. Not exactly romantic, but I got this idea randomly. All of these are going to be fairly short. I had this idea from reading a few alphabet fics myself, and wanted to try them out. I uploaded A-G already. F-Z should be coming soon. I'm currently applying for colleges so don't expect any quick updates, but I'll do the best I that I can.

And update on Kyukonki in the Middle: I am currently writing and editing chapter 8, which should be up by next week or so. After that, an epilogue. Then, that story is done.

Disclaimer: Just take a fucking good guess.

A is for Abomination.

He hated her, that was for certain. He hated everything about her. He hated her soft blue tresses that seemed to sparkle and shine in the sunlight. He hated her soft pink lips and the way they pouted when something or someone irritated her. He hated her pink eyes, and how they glistened. But most of all, he hated her cheery demeanor and shrill voice. Her voice was grating to him, like nails across a chalk board. He hated how she always found something positive in everyone and everything. And if he had no desire to end up in Spirit World jail again, he swore that if she said, "Oh come on, Hiei! Be positive!" one more time, he would slit her throat.

He hated how she was so nice to him, when he thought she would do well to fear him. He hated how she was the exact opposite of what she was supposed to be. Death is supposed to be cold, dark, and unfeeling. Not pink, blue and bubbly. In his opinion, people like her should be dead. Useless weaklings who plague the world with their pitiful emotions.

She was to him, nothing more than an abomination.


	2. B is for Blabbermouth

B is for Blabbermouth.

For someone who was death, she sure as hell wasn't quiet. He knew that. The foolish woman was just as loud as her hair color. And just as obnoxious, too.

She had an issue with keeping her mouth shut, spouting nonsense that got her into trouble more times than he could count.

The worst times of all, was when it came to his sister. He had no intentions of revealing his true identity to her, and as far as he was concerned, it was going to stay that way. Yukina could keep looking, if she so wished. But to him, it was pointless.

But numerous times that obnoxious woman has almost let his secret slip to the one person he did not want to know the truth. He knew she didn't mean to, but that didn't stop him from giving her rather violent death threat through telepathy: "You talk, you die," and "Go ahead, I'll rather enjoy torturing you do death."

Then again, blabbermouth that she was, he always enjoyed giving her a threat or two.


	3. C is for Caring

C is for Caring

A person who gave no thought to themselves, and always had the best interests of others on their mind, one who would go through heartache first rather than see the ones they loved be miserable, was a very rare find indeed.

He had always believed no such person could ever, or would ever exist.

But there she was: the very proof that someone like that did exist.

Always putting others before herself. The very words 'self absorbed' was a bad fit, to say the least.

It was just like her to put a smile on her face to ensure everyone that she was ok, when she really wasn't. After all, she did not want to, "burden them with such trifles." She could have been the most miserable person known to mankind, but as long as the ones she loved were happy, it did not matter to her.

It even irked him to no end how she was kind and generous to him, when all he did was insult her.

However, he was thankful that she was the same way with his sister, and treated her with the respect and kindness that she deserved.

Not that he would ever admit it.


	4. D is for Death

D is for Death.

She found it so funny, and so ironic. Her title as Death, the Grim Reaper. Death was truly cold, unfeeling, unkind, everything that she was not. Her cheerful, positive outlook on life, love and friendship did not match death.

When she looked at him, she thought he fit the description perfectly. Although he was cold, he wasn't completely heartless. He could feel, though he forced himself not to when he could help it.

Really, this whole Grim Reaper thing? He would have made a much better candidate.

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if their lives had been switched. If one day, she woke up, and she was a normal human being (she never could imagine being a demon. The very idea was too frightening for her), and he the Grim Reaper. Surely he would have done a much better job. On an occasion or two, she would find herself giving into her emotions when she did her job. This was especially true when she had to do the sorrowful duty of ferrying a child to Spirit World, someone whom she thought wasn't ready to die yet. But there was nothing she could do about it.

Yes, he would have done it perfectly. He had always viewed death as a casual thing, something that was foolish to be afraid of. It was inevitable after all, the only thing humans and demons alike shared, that we would all die someday. That death would come looking for us, whether we wanted it to or not.

She had to admit though, the very image of him in a colorful kimono and flying around on an oar had left her in fits of laughter.


	5. E is for Elegance

E is for Elegance.

It was night time, and the full moon was out, casting a silver light over the forest behind Genkai's dojo. Every living creature was asleep.

Everyone, but him. He had been awake for quite some time now.

In truth, he had been walking, walking towards what sounded like someone singing.

What sort of creature would be singing out here at this time of night? He had thought he had imagined it at first. But his acute sense of hearing told him otherwise; this was no dream.

As he continued to walk, the voice got louder, but never lost its soft, bell like grace.

In no time, he was in front of some bushes. He parted them to see…

Her. There she was, standing in the middle of a small clearing. She had let her hair down, and it flowed freely with the wind. Holding her arms out, she twirled this way and that. Stopping short, she leapt into the air, landing gracefully on her feet. The silver light of the moon shone upon her pale skin, to him giving a compliment to the silver nightgown she had chosen to wear. The hem of the gown spun and twirled with every step she took, every leap she made.

And her voice, soft and silver, like bells. Like a spell, it captivated him, entranced him.

There! She spun again! Lifting her arms high up to the sky, she slowly turned, singing, it was like watching an enchantress cast a magical spell.

She truly was elegant.


	6. F is for Fear

F is for Fear.

She was death, and therefore should hold no room for fear.

But she could honestly say that she feared him.

It was he who had contacted her through telepathy, telling her of his cruel deed:

_I have the girl, and if you value her life, you and the Spirit Detective will bring me the two artifacts._

When she first laid eyes on him, she had to admit, she was entranced. Although by stature he wasn't much to look at (he was shorter than her by far), his fierce and sadistic nature surely made up for that, making him appear even larger than he really was.

And she would never forget his eyes: red, red like blood. They pierced through her very soul, and if she had been a real human, she could honestly say that their gaze could have frozen her very bones. His eyes held traces of anger and hatred. She could tell just by looking at his eyes that he had seen and suffered a lot, and in his pain, had made others suffer as well, through blood.

Perhaps it was his victims blood that made his eyes so red. She would certainly think so, when she first laid eyes on him.

And his boastful attitude, his mocking of the newest spirit detective. She watched, in both awe and fright, the way he toyed with the detective, using a girl called Keiko Yukimura, to his advantages. She had to admit, that he excelled in strategy, creating the steps of his plans, and making it seem faultless.

But then, his plan had failed, and he was powerless, unconscious, and even then, he had instilled fear into her.


	7. G is for Gratitude

G is for Gratitude.

Battle was a rush of adrenaline, and he loved it. He only lived to get stronger, and more powerful, constantly pushing himself to his limits.

But he still thought it was never good enough, that he could go even further.

And truthfully, she felt a rush just watching him. The way he moved, how he slashed his sword with such grace, it was almost like a dance.

It unnerved her though, in so many ways. He had almost lost his life a few times in battle. Although every time he had beaten his opponents (save the demon Mukuro), a few times had he collapsed with sheer exhaustion, blood erupting from a deep wound like a volcano. It drained her energy to almost nothing when she had to heal him, leaving her exhausted, causing her to be bedridden and cursed with sleep for a couple of days.

She never really knew if he was grateful for her saving his life every once in a rare while. It would have wounded his pride to know that he was in her debt.

But when she was done healing him, or more like when he was mobile again, which usually wasn't until 6 hours or less after sleeping, he'd give her a nod. It wasn't very noticeable, but if she paid enough attention, she could see it.

In the end, him being alive was enough gratitude for her.


	8. H is for Hero

H is for Hero

Her definition of a hero was someone who helped others without expecting anything in return. That a hero did good deeds not for glory, or even immortality, but because it was the right thing to do.

He never thought himself as a hero. He didn't do this whole "Team Urameshi thing" because he wanted to, and he insisted that he never received any joy from it whatsoever. That the only reason he did, was to serve his time so he wasn't banned to the human world for much longer.

She argued with him on this countless times, but to no avail. He always said that he was no hero. He didn't do these things because he didn't want to; he was forced to, by that "fool", Koenma.

"Well then Hiei, what about the time you saved me?" She asked him one day.

"What are you talking about, woman?" He would glare at her with annoyance. His eyes clearly told her not to test his patience.

But she pressed on:

"Oh, you remember. That one time when we were fighting a band of evil demons. One had shot a blast of lightning at me, and you got me out of the way just in time." (1)

He only scoffed, like the thing she said was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Fool. Do not confuse my actions for heroism. I only saved you because Koenma would have had my head if his precious little ferry girl had been killed. Trust me, if I could, I would have let you die, right then and there."

His words would have hurt her, but they didn't. She knew he didn't mean them. And truth be told, neither did he. No, it was just his nature to be the way he was, and say the things that he did.

No, his words did not hurt her at all. Instead, she put on her best smile and shook her head.

No matter what he said, he would always be a hero to her.

1) I MIGHT just write a one shot for this. MIGHT.


	9. I is for Intimacy

I is for Intimacy (or Hiei just can't seem to control his naughty thoughts).

It was nearing his sister's 100th birthday, meaning it was almost her time to be a mother. And because he was part Koorime on their mother's side, the instincts that he had to mate were cursing him as well (1).

Goddamn genetics!

And the one person who caught his eye, his lust, was that blasted ferry girl. True, he could have had anybody he had wanted. Demon world after all was chalk full of potential mates, some probably even suitable for him by his own very high standards. And human world had a few here and there hiding out.

But no. The one he desired above all, was her.

True, he was enchanted by her at times, and was surprised that she no longer feared him. He even appreciated the kindness and respect she gave to his sister, and him. And he would never admit it, but he found her quite beautiful. Exotic looking, even.

But lust, or the very idea of the desire to mate with her? Ridiculous!

His body tried to resist her, but his mind could not. He had wondered what it would be like; fantasized about it, even. He often pictured his hands running down her bare back, his heated lips on hers, pulling her into a passionate and domineering kiss. He imagined how helpless she would be, under his fiery touch, screaming, moaning and writhing in pleasure beneath him, as he brought her over the edge of bliss. He was no stranger to the world of sex, and had bedded with plenty of demons in his days, but never ever felt an attraction to them whatsoever. It was simply for pleasure, the need to fulfill an animalistic lust. The desperate need for release. Nothing more.

But, the need to do any of this was never as strong as it was for her. He wanted her more than that. He just didn't know if it was pure lust, or maybe something else that he would never allow himself to try to understand.

He had never ever been one for romancing the woman he bedded, but he would not deny that he was an experienced lover. The thought of seeing the ferry girl let herself go, and giving herself to him completely made his blood practically boil with satisfaction.

But it made his mind reel back in confusion and fear all the same.

Notes:

1: In episodes 99-100 (I think) it is stated that the women of the glacial village give birth to a baby girl every 100 years through "immaculate means." In other words: with no help from a man. However, it is possible to conceive a child with a man, which happened in the case of Hiei and Yukina's mother, Hina. So, the Koorime can reproduce through two ways: with a man and without a man. Here were my thoughts: Hiei is a fire demon on his father's side, and an ice demon on his mom's side (I mean, I'm assuming he WOULD have some ice in there somewhere even though it's more than obvious which, uhm…trait…is the dominant one). He can't pop out a kid through any means whatsoever , it's not biologically possible. But, I'm assuming, and I think logically so, that his instincts to actually mate, would be around the same time as his sister's time to have kid of her own.


	10. J is for Jumpy

J is for Jumpy

She had been alone in her house for quite some time. This made her absolute wreck, because there was a fierce thunder and windstorm outside and she hated storms. Rain she could stand, but thunder and loud wind? Not a chance. She hated how the thunder beat down, banging against the sky, which reminded her all too much of the brutal fights at the Dark Tournament.. She hated the loud, piercing howl of the wind. The very sound stabbed through to her very core, reminding her of the sound of lost, helpless souls, doomed to roam the earth for all eternity, howling with sorrow and desperation.

But most of all, she hated it when she was alone during times like this.

She had made herself a cup of hot coco, and had snuggled up in a large and heavy blanket on her couch, in an attempt to comfort herself. She would often talk to herself as well, whispering words of reassurance:

"It's ok Botan, ol' girl. It is just a storm, nothing more than thunder and wind. And everybody knows that the thunder and wind cannot hurt you. It cannot even get to you, so stop being so afraid and cheer up a bit!"

It was a feat easier said than done.

And that attempt to comfort herself just flew out the window when she looked up to see the lights flicker for a bit and then plunge the entire room into darkness.

The power had gone out.

Cursing her luck, and that blasted storm, she slowly crawled off the couch, putting her hands out in front of her, to avoid bumping into anything.

She began wondering where she kept those spare candles and flashlight. She clumsily made her way through her home, shaky hands opening cupboards and drawers, fumbling around for anything that felt like wax.

Then she remembered: the extra candles and flashlight were down in the basement.

Once again, she cursed her very luck, and made a mental note to next time keep candles and a flashlight in the house, and not the basement.

She made her way through the dark, hands still out, stumbling around. With a loud thud, she bumped her shin into a chair.

"OW! Stupid chair!" She howled in pain, clutching her shin. Sometimes she really hated this stupid human body of hers. While being a ferry girl, she could not feel any physical pain.

Nevertheless, she treaded on until her shaky hands grabbed a doorknob.

"Bingo!" She exclaimed with excitement, for she had found the door to the basement!

Grabbing onto the nearby railing, she slowly descended down the stairs, until she got to the bottom. She was grateful that there was a window down here, for a nearby streetlight reflected into the room.

The basement was filled with boxes. Boxes full of old clothes that had planned to give away at some point. Other boxes were filled with pictures and small trinkets, prized and meaningful possessions that would never throw away, but did not have enough room to keep upstairs. So she put them in the basement.

"Now let me see, where did I put those candles and flashlight?" She walked over to some nearby shelves and had a look around.

Nothing. Perhaps, they were in one of the boxes.

Pulling put box after box, she read the labels, and pushed them aside. Some boxes were labeled with things such as: Day the Beach, Home Movies, Halloween, and Yusuke's 21st, but so far none were labeled Candles and Flashlights.

She knew she had a box full of them down here, but the question was: which box was it?

Then, she came upon a large red box. Pulling it out, she opened it up, to find several candles, both large and small. Also inside the box, were a few lighters, a bag of extra batteries and four flashlights.

She smiled with glee! She had finally found the box!

Grabbing a few large candles, the bag of batteries, a lighter and a flashlight, she gathered the items in her arms. She moved to stand up when all of a sudden:

"Onna, what on earth are you doing?" A deep voice came.

She shrieked with surprise, and the candles, lighter, flashlight and batteries when flying out her hands, landing with a clang and a thud. She whirled around to see him.

"For Enma's sake Hiei, don't do that!" She shrieked once again, hyperventilating.

He had only found nothing more than amusement in this. Scaring her, whether it was intentional or not, had sometimes been a favorite pastime of his.

"My, my. Someone is a bit jumpy." He smirked, leaving her to scowl at him and shake her head.


	11. K is for Kindness

K is for Kindness.

"Oh, it's just right here, Miss!" He saw her point to the map an old lady was carrying, "If you just go down here, and then make a left right there, the supermarket will be on your right." The old lady thanked her, and left.

He rolled his eyes and snorted. He never understood the idea of helping others, or even accepting help without any gain, and only sought out help if it had personal or powerful gain. If he had been the one who was asked, he simply would have said that the old woman being lost was "not his problem."

She must have seen him roll his eyes, because her pink eyes began to frown a bit.

"Oh, honestly, Hiei! Must you always pout like that when we choose go out to places?"

Once again, he rolled his eyes.

"Baka onna, let's get one thing straight: I had no choice in coming out on this complete waste of time you call an outing. You dragged me."

Yes, she literally dragged him, which was quite a surprising feat. If you knew Hiei, then you knew that you just didn't touch him

"I promised you sweet snow, didn't I?" Botan smirked.

That was true, she had promised him. And when she did, he demanded that she buy him a very, very, very large…what was it called again? Fudge hot…chocolate….oh, it was this desert that had ice cream, fudge sauce and whipped cream, but he didn't bother to actually remember what it was called.

"Now then," she continued, "I just have to stop at the grocery store and pick up some…eggs, bacon, milk, some juice and rice." She counted every item off on her right hand.

With that, Hiei grabbed her arm, and started towards the grocery store. The faster they got there, the sooner they'd be done with this nonsense.

The grocery store was huge, with isles containing things such as cleaning products, hair care, feminine hygiene, family planning, alcohol, snacks, baking needs, and many other things.

Botan had grabbed a shopping cart, which Kurama had, at one point, explained to Hiei that this was what human put their groceries in while they were shopping.

"It makes it more convenient," he had explained.

Convenient ? Hiei had thought the exact opposite. There were a lot of things that he hated in the human world, and grocery stores were one of them. Those stupid things called shopping carts clogging the isles, people standing in the middle of the walkways talking to some friend about this or that, making it an inconvenience for people who had important things to do. And he could not forget just how slow people moved with those things. Oh, and the countless hordes of screaming children.

Did he mention that he hated grocery stores?

While he was deep in thought, he ran smack into Botan. But she pretended not to notice.

"Oh, that's right!" She exclaimed!" "I just remembered that Keiko wanted me to pick up some chocolate for her!" And she made her way to the candy isle, to which he followed.

Upon their arrival, he saw a little girl with pigtails, trying to reach a multi-colored lollipop that was way above her head. He watched with a scowl as her chubby hand kept reaching for the large treat, making grunting noises and standing on her tippy toes.

Hiei continued to watch the girl, honestly quite curious as to what she would do.

And what she did next was quite typical of a child so small: tears began to form in her eyes at the very frustration that something she wanted was so close, yet completely out of her reach. Her little fists began to clench and plopped herself on the floor, tears still streaming down her face.

She looked about ready to throw a tantrum, so he did the only thing he could think of:

He walked over to the girl.

"Here," was all he said, he lifted the child up, so now she was high enough to reach the candy. She grabbed it, and Hiei noticed that the lollipop was so big, and her little hands so small, that she clutched it in both hands.

He set the little girl down, and she smiled up at him, a smile that showed three or four missing teeth.

"Tank you, mister!" And she waddled off.

"Oh, Hiei, that was just adorable!" He turned around to see Botan smiling about.

"What the hell are you smiling about, onna?" He scowled.

"What you did for that little girl, Hiei. I saw the entire thing! It was very kind of you."

He grimaced at the word kind.

"Baka onna," he grumbled, "I am not kind."

Quick on his feet? Sure. A deadly fighter? Most definitely? Intelligent? Well sure, if he did say so himself. But kind? Not in a million years.

"But you are, Hiei!" Botan exclaimed, "You are a kind person, whether you want to believe it or not. You could have very well walked away without helping that little girl, but you chose not to. You chose to stay and help her, even though you didn't have to. I would say that was very kind, Hiei."

Botan had paid for the groceries, and they left, but not without arguing the entire way to the ice cream parlor (she still had to keep her word to him). On the way there, he had threatened her not to tell a single living soul about what happened.

At this, she merely gave a smile, and crossed her fingers behind her back.


	12. L is for Love

L is for Love

Undying affection for someone else. The fiery will to die for someone you cared most about. The constant declarations of love and devotion.

He never understood it.

Maybe that was because he never had it. From the very second he was born, he was called a monster, and was sentenced to death before he had even committed any crimes.

When he was a child, he had been known as a ruthless killer in demon world. Killing not for any purpose, but just for fun. Hearing his victims' screams of pain and agony brought him great pleasure, and seeing the blood pour from their bodies, like melted down garnets, was also pleasure in itself.

He had been feared, deserted, and despised. But he never received any love.

He never thought about what it would have been like, though. If he had never been abandoned when he was a baby. If he had been allowed to live with his mother and his sister. Things would have been so different. He never thought about that, it was pointless to him. To wish for something that never was, and never could be.

Love was a word that was lost on him. A word that he could never understand. To him, it was just another word, a foolish emotion that only held you back.

And he certainly could not even begin to understand the human holiday of Valentine's Day. He'd scowl and scoff at the way humans would hold hands with each other, kiss each other, buy each other useless and pointless trinkets such as flowers and candy.

But that blasted blue haired onna was so fond of the holiday. Every year, when he went over to her apartment (aka dragged by Yusuke and Kuwabara) she had gone full out on the decorations. The table cloths were red, red and pink roses sat in white vases on the countertop, and strings of red and white hearts hung from the top of every door way.

Hell, she had bought red and pink heart shaped cushions for her couches and chairs!

"Why do you humans even bother with such a foolish holiday?" He had once asked her, as she was placing-yep, you guessed it-heart shaped cookies on a red heart shaped plate.

"Oh, Hiei! It's the chance where you can really show the person you love, well…how much you love them. It's so romantic!"

Romance. Love. Adoration. He never understood it.

But he had to admit (to himself) that he did love those heart shaped cookies of hers.

Authors note: This was not my most favorite chapter to write. I might redo this one, depending on what people say.


	13. M is for Macabre

M is for Macabre.

Quick authors note: So, I've reached the letter m in the alphabet, I already have somewhat an idea for n, o and p. They are: N is for Necklace), O is for Oar and P is for Puzzle.

However, I am going to need serious help with Q, R, U, V, W, X, Y and Z (I can handle S and T when the time and idea comes to me). And this is where you guys in: I will so grateful if any of you can come up with words that start with any of these seven letters. They need to be able to relate to Hiei and Botan in some way, and if you could also include the definition of the word you found, that would also help a lot. Please note, that this is not a contest. I am not looking for the best word for any of these letters, or the best idea. Considering that I am taking an online math class, and the fact that I just got accepted to accepted to a very reputable private school (a university), I do not have the time to come up with prizes and shit. However, that does not mean I am not open to doing contests sometime in the future. I can't wait, however, to see what you all have come up with, and I thank you all.

And now, the story.

M is for Macabre.

The stench of rotting flesh filled her nostrils. As death herself, she shouldn't have found it disgusting. She shouldn't have scrunched up her nose and let tears from the smell drain down her face.

But, she did.

No, her facial expression should have been stony and uncaring. But it wasn't. It was disgust and horror. And in a way, sadness.

Sadness as she watched a small boy with spiky black hair, slice his sword once more through another demon. Sadness, because here was nothing but a child, committing atrocious acts of murder, and loving every single moment of it.

Why was she here? It was in the Spirit World files that these four demons would be murdered by a small boy with spiky black hair. She was sent there before they had even died, to get the job done quicker. She had to ferry them to spirit world, when the time came.

So there she was, watching the entire thing. She had come across it moments earlier, when the four demons were chasing the boy armed with a club, and an axe, demanding that the child hand over a precious item of his: a frozen tear drop, which he wore around his neck.

The child stopped in his tracks, and whirled around, smirking the most vile smirk she had ever seen. He raised his sword, spun it around until…

There was a sickening thud and a squelch. The sound of metal tearing through flesh. It had happened so fast, she barely had time to blink.

The four demons bodies had been sliced to pieces, lying in a pool of blood. It was so much that she had trouble figuring out who's blood belonged to who. The last thing she had heard were their scream of agony, right before they fell to the ground in pieces.

And the little boy with spiky black hair stood over them sword over his shoulder, smirking evilly and triumphantly, as if he had just one a great prize.

"Heh," he scoffed, "Such fools. Let anyone try to come and steal my mother's necklace. I dare you. Come and try. I'll take great pleasure in taking away your pathetic life."

Authors Note: I had this idea of what it would have been like if Botan and Hiei had (very indirectly) met long before Yu Yu Hakusho actually took place. This is what I came up with. I put in the reason as to why Botan was even there was because she was off to ferry some souls to spirit world. And the reason why spirit world knew those demons were going to die is because they know everything (except Yusuke's selfless act in sacrificing himself to save some random kid), and also I think spirit world is run by this motto: what is to be will be and nothing or nobody will interfere with what it to take place.

Also, I thought it would have been interesting if Hiei and Botan had met at some point before Yu Yu Hakusho took place.


	14. N is for Necklace

N is for Necklace

What was this stupid human holiday called again?

Oh, yeah. White Day (1).

He honestly thought holidays were pointless. Sure, demon world had them (and they differed from those of human world), but he never felt the need to partake in any of them, let alone celebrate them.

But nonetheless, here he was: in a shopping mall with Kurama, who had been looking at the cases inside of a jewelry shop, contemplating what he would get for Shizuru. The two had only made it official 6 months ago.

"No, no. Sorry," Kurama told the shop keeper as she took out a rather magnificently looking diamond and emerald studded bracelet, "But that is too much for her. She likes to lean more towards simple things."

Which was true. Shizuru did appreciate nice things, but she never had any need for them, nor was she the flashy type (unlike her younger brother, whom Kurama had found that he had just bought Yukina a heart shaped necklace, with the stones differing from rubies to sapphires. Hiei did not know this, of course).

"Ah!" the shopkeeper exclaimed, "but of course. I have some very nice silver and gold bands right here." And she unlocked another door.

Hiei scoffed at the all gems. Just shiny, meaningless tokens was all they truly were.

"Hiei," Kurama had looked up from a rather beautiful gold band, "Aren't you going to ask the shopkeeper if you can look at something?"

"Hn. No." Was the only response.

"Ah," Kurama shrugged, "That's a pity. I could have sworn you were thinking of buying a gift for somebody. White Day is tomorrow, you know."

"Feh. Why the hell would you even think that, fox?" The word 'fox' was set low enough so that only Kurama could hear it. The former thief merely gave a knowing smile.

"Because I've been observing the way you've been look at Botan, lately. One would almost think that you like her."

"Baka. I do not like that damned blue haired onna."

"But you appreciate her, don't you? After all, she has done some very nice things for you, and Yukina as well."

"I am grateful for some of the things she had done for me and Yukina, yes. But I do not like her."

Kurama merely smirked at this.

"Of course, Hiei. How silly of me to think otherwise," and he went back to eying the gold band.

Hiei, however, couldn't stop thinking about what Kurama had said. The baka onna drove him crazy, that was true. With her shrill voice, loud hair color, and by being a constant blabbermouth.

But she had, in the past, done some very nice things for him and Yukina. It was because of her that he had his own apartment (he had gotten used to the idea of a human bed, and found that he rather liked it, after a while). It was because of her talking to Koenma that he longer had to serve his time in human world, and could come and go as he pleased. It was because of her that Yukina now had so many friends.

He had indeed been grateful for all of this, for she had gone out of her way to do such generous things that nobody else would have done.

But, damnit. He did not like her. He tolerated her, yes.

"Perfect," he was snapped out of his thoughts by Kurama, "I'm sure she'll be very pleased with it." He was smiling as the woman put a gold bracelet with an intricate design into a red velvet box.

"Ready to go, Hiei?" Kurama asked, but Hiei shook his head, stating that he wanted to ask the shopkeeper something, and would meet up with Kurama later.

/The Next Day/

Everyone was celebrating White Day at Genkai's dojo. The old woman had been nice enough to offer it.

Everybody was there: Keiko, Shizuru, Botan, Koenma (who had come just for the celebration, aka wanted to get away from all that paperwork), Yusuke, even Atsuko (who had come sporting a new man in her life). Hiei had even come. He had disguised his presence as he wanted to make sure the "carrot haired oaf" didn't try anything funny with Yukina.

Botan had been sitting on the couch, having a conversation with Shizuru and Atsuko. Atsuko had been telling the both of them how she had met her new boyfriend, and was giggling madly about all the dates they had been on. She (Botan) had just nodded away, happily, occasionally giggling at something or another that Atsuko had said.

Just then, she saw Hiei at the end of the hallway. Smiling, she walked over to him.

"Hello, Hiei. Great that you could make it." He nodded in return.

"Oh. I have a gift for you. " And she pulled out a small box, "It's not much, but I hope you'll like it."

With surprise, Hiei took the box. He eyed it closely, turning it this way and that. Then, he untied the red ribbon around it, and removed the prize.

What he saw astonished him. It was a statue of a dragon, no more than four inches tall. The dragon had been carved from onyx, and was shellacked with gold, giving it a shiny, glittering hue. The dragon's eyes were made of small rubies. The dragon also stood perched on a black and white marble cube. In one of its claws was a black marble ball. At the end of the marble cube, were the kanji for Strength, Endurance and Pride.

"I saw this in an antique shop," she explained sheepishly, "And I…I thought of you. :

Hiei pocketed the dragon statue. He didn't exactly show it, but he truly appreciated the gift.

They stood there for a few moments, just staring at each other. For Botan, it was both exhilarating and uncomfortable. She had always thought Hiei was quite good looking, but the way he was staring at her? Well, he might as well have transformed into his demon form, and let all of those eyes stare at her.

He ended the silence, when he reached into his cloak, and pulled out a black velvet, oblong box, about seven inches long. He held it out to her.

"Hiei, what's…"

"Hn. Open it, onna." She opened the box, and gasped.

Inside the box, lying on a bed of silky white cloth, was a silver choker. The choker curved downward in triangular shape. In the center was an aqua colored stone. Dangling from the stone, were three tear dropped shaped pearls.

For Botan, it was like the ability to speak had left her, as she stood gaping at the choker. Where on earth had Hiei gotten the money to buy something so beautiful?

"Hiei…this….this is?" Was all she could say when the words finally found her. He merely smirked.

"Hn. Isn't it the custom of this holiday to give gifts?" At this, Botan squealed with delight, and threw her arms around him, the box and choker still clutched in her hands. . The demon tensed up, not used to such contact.

But then, his surprised gaze then turned into the smallest of smiles, and his eyes softened. This, he decided, wasn't so bad.

He put his arms around her in return, and in her ear, whispered, "Happy White Day, Botan."

1) White Day is a holiday celebrated in Japan, on March 14, and is similar to our Valentine's Day. It's where men give the women they love or care about gifts, such as chocolate, flowers and jewelry.

2) Onyx. No, not the Pokémon. I'm talking about the stone. Onyx is a gemstone, found in several regions around the world, but most commonly Brazil. The colors of the stone vary, including black, pink, red and green. Obviously, I chose black for Hiei. It is said that an Onyx stone can get rid of negative emotions.

Also, I know N is for Necklace is kind of a lame name for a chapter. But I am using the alphabet, and I have to come up with words that start with that letter of the alphabet (A is for Apple, B is for Boy….). The title is supposed to represent the choker that Botan received from Hiei. It is also supposed to represent Hiei acknowledging that he does care for her. I won't exactly say it's love, but the necklace is supposed to represent that there is something there.


End file.
